Uncle Monsterface

Uncle Monsterface is many things: a sock puppet, a giant monster, a power inside of us all.But for our purposes here, Uncle Monsterface is a rock band also known for a lively multimedia stage show.What follows is our discography, in reverse chronology, along with a few notes about the stage shows/tours surrounding each album.

Team Monsterface set out to explore the outer reaches of their mysterious home, Dino-Skeleton Island. They sought a quest (or a bar), but instead found a cave, and fell in. When they looked up, upon the walls they saw the painted tale of the island's ancient iconic protectors, The LAVA MEN.

"RISE of the LAVA MEN" represents a departure for the band in a few ways. After Perfect Jimmy retired, E. Epic Swanson stepped in on live drums and Hidden Harlan Muir joined on keyboards. Both new members added sonic dimensions as well as their song-writing voices to this full length concept, which for the first time featured all live drums and a horn section. What emerged was a denser and darker album, all told.

This album also represented a departure for the live show, which began as a completely pared down straight-up rock show and eventually evolved to incorporate staging and costumes by Syn Styling and video projections featuring the many related 2-d elements created in tandem with the album, collaborations between myself, Epic Swanson, and infEhnite Design, much of which evolved side-by-side with our TV pitch for "Team Monsterface and the Seven Layers of Space." The live show was exclusively toured in NYC and Brooklyn.

"Jokey Jingles"

"Jokey Jingles" is the culmination of several years of live covers, featuring our two most widely-performed covers, Oingo Boingo's "Little Girls" and Madonna's "Like A Prayer." Also featuring songs by The Aquabats, The Residents, and Britney Spears, the album is a kind of love letter to some of our seemingly disparate influences.

The album also represented the final full recording with the legendary Perfect Jimmy, who additionally authored the insane and wondrous cover art.

"This Is An Adventure"

Released in late 2007, "This Is An Adventure" is the second full-length album by Uncle Monsterface. The album was self-produced at Dino-Skeleton Studios.

"This Is An Adventure" was primarily written upon the band's arrival in New York, and served in many ways as a salute to that colossal change. Featuring several songs that would go on to become signature pieces such as the title track, "Go!", "The Gary Gygax Song," and "Rock 4 Luv," mixed in with several other deeper cuts.

The album is very dear to our Monsterface hearts, as it was so deeply collaborative in every way imaginable - from song-writing to mix - it is in many ways the flagship Monsterface album. The fact that it features the artwork of the phenomenal Daria Tessler is still a point of pride.

"This Is Adventure" also marked the birth of what would become much of our signature touring live show for several years. This included a giant puppet theater and video projection fort made of bed sheets and lots of big monsters (in addition to the well established presence of sock puppets and inflatable animals and objects). Uncle Monsterface himself was often accompanied by a giant, living, mashed potato and a huge vampire. Who fought.

"Nintendode: Songs for the Big N"

The first EP and second recorded release by Uncle Monsterface was "Nintendode," originally released November 16, 2006 in tandem with the release of the Nintendo Wii as a salute of excitement to one of our favorite things: Nintendo.

The album would go a long way to establish our geek credentials, but it also established a staple song and piece of our live set. Whenever the band performs the single from the EP, "I'm Sorry (But Your Princess Is In Another Castle)," we took to projecting Super Mario Bros. and getting an audience member to play while we performed.

We STILL love doing that...

"Letter Green (I Love You)"

"Letter Green" was the first full length album by Uncle Monsterface, released in 2005.

As a freshman debut, it is a quite dear to us, truly epitomizing our unbridled enthusiasm intermingling with our tastes for the somehow-sentimental yet deeply surreal and absurd.

While many of the songs were culled from my earlier Song-a-day project, a few more collaborative pieces started to emerge, too. The most noteworthy staple from this group is Lobster Buidling, which is still frequently a closer. Other regular favorites include Chocula, Capes, Pets and Derockracy,

Earliest inklings of our bonkers stage show were already appearing in support of "Letter Green," too. Sock Puppets and a giant dancing version of Uncle Monsterface joined the fun early, and interactive videos and an inflatable army were not far behind. All of which toured nationally as one-half of the wonderful collaborative "Potterface" tour - a two week misadventure that was also a collaborative song and video-a-day blog sponsored by The Boston Phoenix.

UNCLE MONSTERFACE

is not to be confused with MONSTERFACE INDUSTRIES, the entity responsible for ALL the stuff we make.This is the band.And this band has always been a TEAM. Over the years, the Team Members have changed, but once a TEAMMATE, always a TEAMMATE.

When we got to "THIS IS AN ADVENTURE," a few new friends appeared to help.Bradford Swanson jumped in with some soul-stirring arrangements.And Jocelyn Mackenzie joined the fray to sing like an ethereal beam of white light.Also, our dear friend Gabriel Duquette chimed in with some fine drum work on a few tracks.

By the time we got around to "RISE OF THE LAVA MEN," Perfect Jimmy headed south to build an underwater underwear farm, and Jesse got lost in the 1780's looking for grackles.

However we were joined by the E.Epic (aka Spooki Olde) Swanson on the drums, drum programing, and graphic design lead.And then, while searching for some lost candy, we uncovered the inimitable Hidden Harlan Muir, who would take on synth duties, but also stun us with his horn arrangements and ability to pilot a submarine.I started playing bass for this one, too.Jocelyn and Brad stuck around to pitch in on a few tracks, and our old friend Corn Mo sings on it, too. Our friends are cool.

So if you do the math, Dan and I are the ones who are still here TEN YEARS LATER.TEN MORE!